Nice Normal SemiHoliday
by Love-el-ly Joy
Summary: When two vampires show up in Sunnydale as part of a demon game of Assassin, will Buffy's Halloween be ruined as usual?
1. Chapter 1

_A/N: I've never done any holiday-slash-seasonally themed stories before, so this will be my first one. For Halloween. I plan on doing a Thanksgiving and Christmas one, too; perhaps even New Year's Eve. Fun, right? Anyway, about the fic. I chose to set this in Season Five for several reasons; a) my favorite season, Season Six, already had a Halloween episode, b) honestly, is it necessary to add to the pile of Angel not understanding human traditions? C) Spike was insane in the basement at this point in Season Seven, which would take all the fun out of ABSOLUTELY EVERYTHING, and d) I felt as though Riley deserved to be included in the Scooby Gang's holiday festivities._

_Posting Schedule: I'm writing this on Tuesday night, the 19__th__, and I plan to post it on Thursday. I want to do ten chapter and end it on Halloween, so I'll start on the 21__st__. And you know what that means: you get a fabu chappie EVERY SINGLE DAY! That's better than ice cream topped with honey, whether or not you have money, Lady Gaga._

_Warnings: My third-favorite pairing, Briley, is pretty centric in this fic. Additionally, this would be the first Dawn Halloween, so she does exist in this world._

_Nice Normal Semi-Holiday_

_Chapter One_

"But I don't think Halloween qualifies as a holiday," Buffy argued, carving a smiley face into her jack-o-lantern. "I mean, the kids aren't even off school."

"But they aren't off school for other holidays," Willow replied. "Do they get Columbus Day?" "Willow, who do you know that celebrates Columbus Day?" Xander pointed out.

Riley snorted. "Elementary school kids do it. They make the little paper machè Nina, Pinta, and Santa Marias."

"I meant out of normal people. Besides kindergarteners, do you know anyone that celebrates Columbus Day? Anyone?"

"My friend Jeff," Dawn piped up from the back, "is strongly opposed to Columbus Day. He's native American and he thinks that it's stupid to pay tribute to someone that 'killed the indigenous culture,' which is totally bogus, but to each his own, I guess."

"Hey, Willow, isn't that why you refuse to celebrate Thanksgiving?" Anya asked.

"Sort of. But I'm not Native American, so… "

Buffy stood up. "I gotta go. Mom told me that she needs some surgery next week, so there's some stuff I need to go home and fill out. Dawn, you coming?"

"Can I stay here?" Dawn pleaded.

Buffy looked at Xander.

"I'll walk her home later," he promised, nodding. Dawn squealed with delight before continuing to work on her pumpkin.

"I'll walk you home," Riley said, standing up.

"No, don't feel like you have to leave on my account. It's really not that big a deal. You know, date of birth; social security. You can stay."

"It's fine."

Once they were in the hallway outside Xander's apartment, Riley confided in her the real reason that he wanted to leave: "It always gets kind of awkward after you leave, if I'm still there. The rest of them are… you know, they're this big group of friends, and I'm just - "

"The best guy in the world," Buffy finished for him, taking his hand. "Silly, I already knew that."

*.*_-_*.*

"Soooo," the blonde drawled in her northern-Georgia accent, "when are we gonna do it?"

"Soon." her sister replied. "We haven't even finished plannin' yet, Margaret."

"I know that! It's just that I'm so bored o' this dumb town. I wanna go back to Vancouver. It was excitin' there. And the _climate_ - "

"I know about Vancouver. I was there, remember?" Diana bent over the stack of papers piled high on the Victorian-style desk. "But we've got it good here. We got a nice place to stay, easy access to all methods of transportation, including airplanes, buses, and trains. And, most of all, we got Immunity here."

Meg groaned. "I guess you're right. But still, whadda ya expect me to do until then? Twiddle my thumbs?"

"Learn to read."


	2. Chapter 2

_A/N: Chapter Two. Yayyy! I hope you guys liked it. Well, prepare for more salty goodness, 'cuz this one's AWESOME! The other chapters are awesome, too, but this one is currently the coolest because I'm writing the A/N for it right now._

_Nice Normal Semi-Holiday_

_Chapter Two_

_Sixteen Hours Later_

Dawn sat on Buffy's bed, eating a chocolate-flavored Tootsie Pop. "So, have you decided what you're going to be yet?"

"What do you mean? Like, my major?"

"No, stupid." Dawn rolled her eyes. "For Halloween."

"Oh." Buffy folded a shirt and placed it in her pile. "I do know, actually. But I can't tell you what it is. It's a surprise."

"Does Riley know?"

"Nope. There is one person that knows, but you'll never guess who."

"Angel?"

"I'm not telling you a _thing_."

Dawn rolled her eyes and fell back on the bed, stealing that month's issue of Seventeen off Buffy's nightstand.

"Uh, no, I don't think so." Buffy grabbed it back and tossed it in the closet.

"_What?_"

"It's not appropriate. There's stuff about, you know, boys and stuff. You need to appreciate your youth and innocence and just, you know, hang out with your friends. Worry about boys in high school."

Dawn rolled her eyes again. "You know how overprotective you and Mom are, right? Janice's mom lets her watch - "

"I don't really care. Have you _seen_ Janice lately?" Buffy shuddered. "Whenever she comes over, I'm just like, 'Someone put a shirt on that girl.' And, by the way, if you ever dress like that, Mom and I will beat you with a stick like a redheaded stepchild."

For the third time in the past two minutes, Dawn's eyes were at the ceiling. "You'd have to catch me. I'm a fast runner."

"I'm faster. You might be top of the playground ladder, but I'm the Slayer. There's no way you're faster than me. And if you are, I need to have my power checked."

"Anyway," Dawn said, "back to Halloween costumes. Can you go shopping with me tomorrow for my costume? I want to check PartyTown and Ethan's before I hit the department stores."

"Ethan's?"

"Mhm. It's back in business - not owned by Ethan Rayne; I already checked. The guy that runs it is just this nice old Chinese guy named Zackey."

"Oh. Cool."

"Yeah. And they have pretty good costumes, but Mom didn't give me any money until last night, so I need to go this weekend before all the good ones sell out."

"I'll check with Giles, but I think I can." Buffy agreed in a spurt of sisterly helpfulness. "I might need to bring Riley along - knowing him, he probably won't buy a costume unless I drag him by his you-know-whats to the store."

Dawn laughed. "You sure have a talent for picking guys like that, Buffy."

"I bet Parker dresses up."

The room suddenly got quiet and it felt as though the temperature dropped ten degrees until Dawn put on a cheerful smile (whether it was fake or not) and pointed out, "Hey. At least you know what he's gonna dress up as. For all you know, if you didn't pick his costume for him, Riley could show up as the second half of a couples' costume without knowing."

"Or, worse, he does the couple thing with another girl."

"Or possibly a guy, if he's gay."

Buffy smacked Dawn's head with the flip flop she was holding. Not hard; just enough to make Dawn shriek and say, "Eek! Leave me alone!"

*.*_-_*.*

"Margie, I can't believe ya actually took me seriously." Diana shook her head when she walked into the room and saw Meg reading a beat-up old copy of Anne of Green Gables.

"I've always been able to read!" Meg exclaimed. "I was a top reader in my class in sixth grade. I just, ya know, don't. Readin's kinda pointless, when ya think about it. I mean, ya spend so much time readin' something that you could watch on the TV in about an hour. It's a waste o' time."

"Well, what if it's not something that's been turned into a movie? Then what do you do?"

"Don't read it, I guess."

Diana shook her head. "I coulda brought Anna Jane along, ya know? I coulda brought Anne Jane or McKenzie. But I didn't. I picked you as my partner. Now, come here. Which o' these costumes do you like the best?"

Meg approached the desk, looking over the photographs of costumes that Diana had spread across the table. There was a bumblebee, a witch, Hannah Montana, and Daphne from Scooby Doo.

Meg pointed at the Daphne costume. "I want that one. It'll be funny. What're you gonna be?"

"Prob'ly Velma. I knew you'd pick Daphne, so I already ordered both of 'em. They'll be here by Monday."

"But ain't Monday _after_ Halloween?"

Diana gave her a Look. "Um, no, Margaret. Halloween is _next_ Sunday."

"It all happens then, right?"

"Yup. For once, sis, you're absolutely right."


	3. Chapter 3

_A/N: So here we are. The third chapter. Yeah. So awesome. So in case you're one of those people that likes to open a story to the most recent chapter and just read from there, here's what happened: you didn't review. Go read the chapters and review like a normal person._

_Nice Normal Semi-Holiday_

_Chapter Three_

Dawn, Riley, and Buffy entered the costume shop, following Buffy's orders to "look around, but if an English guy comes up to you and tries to sell you something, run the frick away." The only difference was that Buffy's word choice wasn't as PG.

Riley wandered around the store, aware that Buffy was watching him closely to ensure that he picked a proper costume. It was ridiculous, though - it wasn't as though he didn't know what kinds of costumes people actually wore. He could go the simple route and just do the zombie thing, or he could be creative and dress up as Ken, Barbie's boyfriend. On the other hand, if he were to go as the latter, it would only be funny if Buffy went as Barbie and Dawn as Stacy.

A blonde woman approached him, smiling. "Hi, my name is Darla; can I help you?" _(A/N: We're going to pretend that Darla had already been to L.A. by this point and that Angel knew she was there. I guess this is somewhere back when she was... I don't know. Human, I guess.)_

"Um... yeah, actually. My girlfriend is making me buy a Halloween costume and, frankly, I have no idea what to get and she keeps looking at me like an idiot since I don't know. Did that sentence make sense?"

"Yes, it did, actually. Anyway, we have a personality test you can take that can determine what kind of costume you should get. It's only ten questions; it'll probably take you about five minutes." Darla handed him a sheet of paper and a pen. "I'll be right back; I need to check and see if we have something in stock in the back room."

Once Darla left, Riley looked at the paper he was holding.

_What is your current job?_

_A) Unemployed_

_B) Fast-food worker_

_C) Homemaker_

_D) Military_

_E) Other_

Riley decided that the closest answer would be "Military," so he circled it. Next question.

_When did you last brush your teeth?_

_A) Yesterday_

_B) This morning_

_C) After I ate my last meal_

_D) Right before I came here_

_E) I can't remember_

Riley went through all of the questions and it told him that he should dress as either a Mad Scientist or a zombie. Go figure.

Darla flounced back over. "So, you finished?" she asked with a smile.

"Yeah, I finished, but I'm not sure I like my results... "

"Riley!" Buffy exclaimed, speedwalking over. "What is taking so long? We've been in this store for ten minutes and I haven't even seen you look at any costumes - oh. Um."

"_This_ is your girlfriend?" Darla asked. "Buffy? No wonder you've been having issues finding a costume. You have to find something that doesn't look terrible against her pasty complexion."

"Me? Pasty complexion? Look at _you_. Four hundred years and you still haven't heard of a spray tan?"

"Two hundred of which I was with - "

"You shut up."

"_Angel!"_

Riley turned to Buffy. "Okay, what's going on here? Who is this woman?"

"You haven't told him?" Darla asked, a smirk growing on her face.

"I so have! I mean, pretty much. Why would I talk about you?"

"Because I'm a major issue."

"Don't flatter yourself, Dar. If Angel wanted to be with you, he would be. You were in Sunnydale. I was, too. He picked me. Deal. With. It."

"If you really knew Angel, you would know that he gets bored quickly. He dumped you. He'll come crawling back to me soon enough."

"No he won't. I mean, get a new look and he will, maybe. You've been doing the creepy Catholic schoolgirl thing for four years now, Darla. It didn't work the first time you did it and it doesn't work now. Ditch the look and you'll look... almost decent."

Darla gave Buffy a sarcastic look. "And you already look great, I guess, right? Holier-than-thou Buffy. How did Angel - or this kid, for that matter - ever put up with you? You're so... immature."

"OKAY!" Riley almost yelled. The store didn't get quiet like they do in the movies, but Buffy and Darla shut up. "I don't know what's going on. I'm not sure if I _want _to know what's going on. All I know is that I can into this store to buy a costume, and I am going to buy one."

"Just a sec, Ri." Buffy turned back to Darla. "Why are you here?"

"Assassin. Duh. Haven't you heard?" When Buffy shook her head no, Darla continued. "Sunnydale is the immunity spot, but only for... well, there's only four days left in Sunnydale. Anyway, you'll probably have a lot of vamps and demons coming here to crash for awhile."

"You're playing Assassin."

"Yeah. It's not like I have anything else to do."

"Do you know who else is in the game?" Buffy asked.

"Vampire sisters by the names of Margaret and Diana. They're cool; we've hung out a few times since it started. But I already had a partner; otherwise I probably would've just joined their group."

"Who's your partner?"

"Angel."

"No he's not. I don't believe you."

"Believe what you want, sweetie, but Angel's with me on this. He should be here for... oh, there he is!"

Sure enough, standing in the doorway was Angel.


	4. Chapter 4

_A/N: Just so you know, Darla wasn't originally going to be involved. It was just supposed to be a Halloween fic. But then I realized how versatile it could be with my game of Assassin going on, so I was like, "Hmm... " Plus, having the Fanged Four together again? That's pretty beast. There's one part in here that was inspired by sugarless5. You guys don't need to know what it is. Only she knows. Mwahaha. And also, with my messing-with-cannon - we're pretending that Darla was human but they were still hanging out with vampire Dru._

_Nice Normal Semi-Holiday_

_Chapter Four_

"_Angel_?" Buffy said.

"Uh... hi, Buffy," he replied, reaching their corner of the shop. "Buying a Halloween costume?"

"Riley is."

"Oh. Riley. He's still here."

"Of course he is. Why wouldn't he be?" Buffy asked indignantly.

"I kind of figured you'd have dumped him by now."

"Or he'd have gotten tired of your possessiveness and just left," Darla added. Angel kicked her in the shin.

Darla rolled her eyes. "You know it's true," she said to him.

"Buffy isn't possessive." Angel argued in favor of his ex.

"Why are you defending her? I was in your dreams. I know everything about you. I know everything about _her_."

"You know _nothing_ about me," Buffy's voice was tense. She wanted to know - from Angel - whether or not she had really been in Angel's mind.

"Your favorite color is green," Darla recited. "You wear Britney Spears' perfume. You have a stuffed pig named Mr. Gordo - it's a ratty old thing, by the way; you should probably get rid of it or at least wash it or something - and a stake named - "

"Enough! I get it! I believe you now. So just... can Riley and I just shop for a costume in peace now?"

"And Dawn. Dawn's shopping, here, too," the boyfriend added. Everyone kept calling him Riley, so Darla assumed that's what his name was. Then again, you could never really be sure with names when you hung around Buffy. That was another thing Darla learned when she was in Angel's mind.

"Hey, Buffy!" the Slayer's sister said, flouncing over. "I found a costume! Oh, hey, Angel. Wait, Angel's here? Since when?"

"Um... Dawny?" Buffy began to explain timidly. "You know the game Assassin?" Dawn nodded. "Well, Angel and Darla are a team in the game, and - "

"Drusilla's... Drusilla is on our team, too," Angel said quietly.

"Great!" Buffy exclaimed. "The Fanged Four all together in one place! This oughtta be a fun four days!"

"Wait, all of us together? Spike isn't - "

"Yes, he is. He's been in town for over a year now. He has a chip in his head that... well, it's kind of complicated. If you want to come back to my house with us, we can explain it," Buffy said.

"I have to be with Darla or the Immunity doesn't count," Angel replied.

"She can come too, I guess. I mean, she's human, so I guess it's not that big a deal. As long as she doesn't talk about... you know, _inappropriate stuff _around Dawn."

_Oh, my God, she's even stupider than I thought she was. _"You know that this whole 'protective parenting' thing doesn't work, right?" Darla inserted.

Ignoring her comment, Buffy said through clenched teeth, "I've told you my condition. Take it or leave it. I really don't care, as long as you stay out of my way if you don't go with it."

"Buffy, it's fine. I'll make sure Darla only talks about... appropriate stuff around Dawn." _He's actually agreeing with her "condition?" I guess he's almost as stupid as her._

*.*_-_*.*

Buffy unlocked the front door and entered the house, instructing everyone to toss their coats anywhere.

Joyce entered the foyer when they walked in. "Oh, Buffy, I'm glad you're - Angel? And you're... Buffy, I'm calling nine-one-one."

"No, Mom! Darla's like... human now. She's not going to bite you." Buffy leaned over and whispered in Angel's ear, "She isn't right?" Angel shook his head. "Good, then. Now you can tell me all about why four vampires that have been known to be best friends and cause destruction all over Europe and Asia have suddenly decided to come to my town."

They sat down in the family room. Joyce followed them. Buffy guessed that she didn't want to be in the house alone, with Darla there.

"Buffy, the reason we came over is because you said you'd tell us why Spike is here."

Buffy sighed and looked at Riley. He nodded. She would have to explain the Initiative. "Okay, so, Angel," she said. "You know about the Initiative and stuff, right? I've told you all of that?" Angel nodded again. "Well, they kind of... put a chip in Spike's head last year. He can't hurt humans without getting an electric shock in his brain. So he's here. In Sunnydale. He can actually be pretty useful sometimes, so we let him stay, as long as he doesn't get in my way."

"What's the Initiative?" Darla asked.

"Doesn't matter," Riley replied.

"_Now_ you can tell us about the game," Buffy said triumphantly. "Dawny, can you go upstairs?"

"What? No! If there are a bunch of vampires in town, I deserve to know!" Dawn argued.

"Sweetie, we just don't want to give you nightmares," Joyce soothed her. "Can you please go upstairs and do your homework or something? I bought you a new sketchbook and some special colored pencils when I was in town today."

Dawn's face lit up in delight. "You did, Mom? That's so awesome!" She ran up the stairs. As soon as she was gone, Joyce scooted over so that she was sitting next to Buffy.

"Okay," Angel began. "Assassin. Right. You've played it before, right?"

Buffy nodded. "They did a whole schoolwide game of it last year. I won and Willow came in fifth."

"And you know how there's one spot where no one can get you out?"

"Mhm."

"Well, Sunnydale is the spot this week. The weeks begin and end on Wednesday, so we'll be out of town by then."

"Can I ask one question?" Riley asked.

"Well, you just did, but you can ask another," Angel agreed.

"Why are you playing Assassin? You just kind of strike me as too broody for that."

Angel frowned at him. "Wolfram and Hart signed us up for it. Me, Darla, and Drusilla as a group. If it were the way I wish it were, I would just let Dru lose and take care of Darla, but in this game, if one person gets out, their whole team loses."

"What happens if you lose?" Buffy asked.

Angel looked at her even more seriously than before. "They kill you."

"Who's _they_?"

"Whoever gets to you first."

"Great. You're staying here. I'll set up some cots in the basement and something outside for Drusilla. Actually, forget that. Drusilla can stay with Spike and Harmony." Buffy snorted. "I can't wait to see Harmony's reaction to that."

Angel stood up with her. "Buffy, you really don't have to - "

"Angel. I'm not going to let you die because of a stupid game. You're staying here."

"Is it really worth putting Dawn and your mom's lives in jeopardy?"

"Who am I supposed to call when I can't handle what's going on?" Buffy began her rant. "What am I supposed to do when I have to worry about not having a second front if I lose the fight? What happens if, God forbid, I die and Mom and Dawn are still targets? Who's going to protect them? Angel, if you die, I don't know what I'm going to do."

They were in the kitchen by this point. Everyone else was still in the family room.

"You have Riley to handle all that." Angel wouldn't look at her.

"No, I don't. Riley's just a human. Sure, he can help with the occasional vampire; maybe some weaker demons, but he can't fight a war. He can protect himself, but he's not going to be able to do what I would do to protect the people I love."

Angel finally looked at her. "Fine. We'll stay here. But, like you said earlier, Drusilla can stay with Spike. She's insane. I don't know what she would do to Dawn and Joyce and I really don't want to find out."


	5. Chapter 5

_A/N: Yes, it's become one of those totally beast Angel-versus-Riley stories. WHO SHALL TRIUMPH? I don't know yet. I'm taking bets, though, and there will be some sort of prize for the people that guess right... :-D OH! I just totally figured out who's gonna win! So anyway, guess whether you think Angel or Riley will win. If you get it right, you win a SECRET PRIZE._

_THIS CHAPTER IS DEDICATED TO: sugarless5, my one reviewer. Yay. You da bomb. _

_Nice Normal Semi-Holiday_

_Chapter Five_

Buffy put two pillows on the foldable Army-style cots she kept in her basement in case of emergencies such as this.

"There," she said, placing the pillow on the final cot and hitting it. "Sleep tight." She went to go up the stairs, hoping Angel would follow her.

He didn't.

Sighing, she continued her way upstairs, running into Riley at the top.

"Oh. Sorry, Riley," she said, continuing past him.

"Buffy, do you want me to stay for tonight?" he asked. Buffy smiled. She had the best boyfriend in the world. Sweet, compassionate, loving. He would never do anything to hurt her. In point of fact, he would probably hurt himself to avoid even making her sad. But she didn't need him right now.

"No, it's okay. You should go home. I just have a lot on my mind right now. And I should probably spend some time with Mom and Dawn - a bunch of spanking new vampire buddies in town; I'm sure they're wigging. See you at the Bronze for Xander's birthday party tomorrow?"

"Of course."

"Okay, then. Good night." Buffy stood up on her tippy-toes and he leaned down and gave her a kiss.

Riley turned and walked out the front door.

Buffy went up to her room. She seriously needed a "mull-over-all-of-your-issues" bath. With bubbles and her special caramel truffle-scented bath gel that she saved for special occasions.

"Buffy, where are you going?" Joyce called from the family room.

"Just upstairs, Mom," Buffy replied. "I'm gonna take a bath. Tell Dawny I said goodnight if she comes down?"

"Will do."

"And if Darla comes upstairs looking for food, give her the leftover broccoli from dinner, please. I don't want Angel's new playmate eating all my Oreos that I've spend so much time and effort hiding from Dawn."

Joyce smiled. "Have a nice bath, Buffy."

Buffy went upstairs and started running the water. While the tub was filling up, she went to her room and pulled her Yummy Sushi pajamas out of the drawer, along with her fluffy slippers. She planned to do a serious history jam while two people aged two hundred-plus were in her house, so she grabbed her notebook and put it on her bed so that she wouldn't have to look for it later.

Buffy went back to the bathroom. Luckily, the bathtub was filled perfectly. She turned off the water and the lights - taking baths in the dark had been her custom since she was six - and climbed in the tub.

Thirty minutes later, Buffy was lying on her stomach on her bed, feeling relaxed after her bath, when, suddenly, the ink in her pen ran dry. She turned around to grab another off her bedside table and jumped.

Standing in the corner was Angel.

"Ah! You gotta stop doing that! I've gotten un-used to that since you left."

"What, Riley doesn't jump out at you from the shadows?"

"No, and neither did Drac - never mind." Bringing up Dracula's visit to Sunnydale probably wasn't the brightest idea. "Is there any reason you're here?"

"Not really. I just wanted to make sure you're okay."

"I'm fine. I'm healing up really well since I hurt my arm last week - "

"You know what I meant."

"I don't think that's any of your concern."

"Buffy, I just - "

"You left, okay? End of story. You have no right anymore to ask if I'm okay. You can't be stalking me in the shadows anymore. Because you know what? It's not a cute sign that you're protecting me and you love me anymore. Because now? It's creepy."

"But in your big monologue earlier, you said - "

"I know what I said. I told you that I needed you alive to protect Mom and Dawn. Not me. I'm fine. I was fine without you. I have an actual life now. That's what I've been able to have since you left. You were right to leave. Can you please just accept that and move on?"

Angel stared at her. "Fine. You know that friend of mine that had visions? Doyle? He died. Passed on his visions to Cordelia. And you know what she saw? Your mom is going to die. Since you just told me that, I won't bother to come back."

He jumped out the window.

"Great," Buffy muttered. "Good job, Buffy."

*.*_-_*.*

She didn't want him there? Fine. He would leave. He and Darla could go stay with Drusilla. It was safer that way, anyway. They would definitely all be safe then.

Angel swooped in the basement window that he's come out of. Darla was asleep.

He walked over and shook her awake. "Darla! Darla, wake up!"

"What? Is that idiot Holtz here?" she looked at him. "Oh. Wait. Never mind. What?"

"Help me pack up these beds. We're leaving and I want it to look like we were never here."

"Oh, so you're turning into a Girl Scout now?"

"What?"

"Never mind."

Darla started taking the sheets off her bed. "So why the rush to get out so quick? Was it one of those classic Buffy/Angel moments?"

"Pretty much, yeah."

*.*_-_*.*

Soon after, Darla and Angel had propelled themselves out the basement window and were wandering around the cemetery.

"Do you even know which crypt he lives in?" Darla asked. She wanted to get more sleep, and the longer they walked around aimlessly, the less time she would have to get her beauty rest.

"Buffy said he lived - here."

Angel opened the door to the crypt and entered cautiously. He didn't know what he would find in here, so he didn't exactly want to rush in and be attacked or something.

"Spike?" he called.

"Oh, Buffy - Angel." Spike's head poked up from the couch. "Right, so I guess you're here because you and Buffy had one of those typical moody chats so now you're looking for Drusilla."

"Why does everyone know? But, yeah, that's pretty much it. Where is she?"

"Dru's downstairs. I was watching - something. I'm not really sure what it was."

Angel glanced at the television. "Pee-Wee's Big Adventure."

"Only because I was watching Sleepy Hollow and they started playing Tim Burton movies. What, do you think I would actually watch that movie?"

"Yes," Darla and Angel both replied immediately. "One time I walked in on you watching the TV show. As I remember, you used pretty much the same excuse you're using now." Darla said smugly.

"Well, fine. It's a good movie. It's funny. How can you not love Pee-Wee?"

Darla and Angel exchanged a Look.

"I'm not going to harass you about your... television choices anymore," she said, "since we need somewhere to stay until Wednesday."

He rolled his eyes. "I suppose you can stay here for old times' sake. But don't you dare touch anything in my fridge. Get your own beer and blood."

"For the record," Darla explained. "I don't need any of the blood."

"Oh, so you can hunt humans. Don't rub it in."

"Spike, she's human," Angel said, "so she really doesn't need your blood."

"I'll take your beer, though," Darla said, going to the fridge. "You actually have some good stuff in here."

"Well, I guess you can help yourself to that. I get most of it for free, anyway."

"Great!"

They settled down in Spike's living room (sort of) and discussed everything that had happened in the past hundred years since Angel left and did some reminiscing about the good ol' days.

And you know what?

It was the best moment the three of them'd had in a long time.


	6. Chapter 6

_A/N: Yay, Fanged Four moment! But not really Fanged Four, since Drusilla was sleeping in the basement xD Sorry, but I kind of hate her. Besides that, I'm playing her in an RP right now, so, since I hate her, I can't take having to personify random inanimate objects in more than one forum, no pun intended. Haha. Roleplay. More than one forum. RPs are in forums. Ha. Yeah. Anyway, sorry about the whole "Angel-and-Darla-leave-Buffy" thing. I know that there were a ton of different things I could have done if I kept them there, but I wanted to have a typical "Angel/Buffy-ex-fight." And, if that happened, he couldn't still be living with the Summers'. Besides, I, personally, would rather have pre-soul Spike and Angel bickering, since that tends to me more awesomesauce._

_INSIDE JOKES ALERT!: Since my buddy sugarless5 is the only one reviewing, I'm going to go ahead and have a bazillion inside jokes. So, all you people that are just subscribing, review. Reviewing makes the world go round._

_Nice Normal Semi-Holiday_

_Chapter Six_

Buffy woke up at five the next morning.

She rolled over onto her side, hoping to fall asleep again. Once she found that she couldn't, she groaned and climbed out of bed. If she couldn't sleep in, she may as well be the first one up.

Angel had probably left. Buffy knew that. Despite Angel being as antisocial as he was, he still had some social skills. He knew that he wasn't wanted. Besides, that big fight they had? Awkward. If he stuck around, it would just bad. Pure stupidness.

Yawning, Buffy stretched. She pulled off her pajamas and replaced them with some purple sweats and a yellow tank top. She walked downstairs and out the front door, into the darkness of the early morning.

It was indistinguishable from midnight. The sun hadn't even begun to rise, and there was still no dew on the grass beneath her feet as she crossed the front yard. Buffy could hear a door opening a few houses down - probably someone commuting to Los Angeles. Where Angel should be right now, if it weren't for the stupid children's game he was partaking in.

Buffy continued across her yard. When she reached the sidewalk, she quickly deliberated where she wanted to go before making the firm decision to go to the right. She'd never been to the Bronze past two A.M., and she wanted to see where it was still open.

She strode quickly down the street, not really wanting to fight any vampires or demons this early in the morning. Tired Sunnydale citizens were not fun - Buffy knew from years of experience dealing with the people bordering the cemeteries. By now, Buffy had a sort of unspoken deal with them - as long as she kept the fight off of their property, she could do whatever she wanted earlier than midnight.

Buffy entered the Bad Part of Town. Whenever she'd ever seen someone write it out, they always capitalized it, so she did as well. Bad Part of Town. Like a little townwide inside joke. Everyone knew that the Bad Part of Town wasn't really the bad part of town. They knew to stay clear of the cemeteries past dusk; to always use the buddy system.

But, since she didn't particularly want any mugger trouble, either, Buffy hid her wallet in the sweatpants' deep left front pocket. Anyone could see the bulge, but at least she knew that no one would try to pickpocket her. People did that all the time in L.A., and it got really annoying.

Fortunately, Buffy reached the Bronze without any real trouble.

The Bronze's sign still glowed, a little dimmer than at night, but it was clear that it was still open. Probably just for the sake of the drunks that passed out there the night before, but it was still open.

Buffy entered the club, pausing momentarily where the line normally was. She would have to come back here later tonight, she realized. For Xander's birthday party. She sighed. Frankly, Buffy wanted to just stay home and watch movies with Mom and Dawn.

She was right about the crowd that would be there. Sitting at the bar was a small group, sleeping with drool coming out of their mouths. They were all wearing Halloween costumes.

Ah, yes. Last night was the Bronze's big Halloween bash that they held every year. Buffy had never been - she'd always been either busy or incapacitated in some way the week of the party - but everyone that went said it was fun. Besides Buffy, though, that was pretty much everyone. Cordelia was the only other person Buffy knew that didn't go. Cordelia thought that the Bronze's parties were always just "a cheap scam to make extra money by selling candy filled with fat and yuckiness," so in the years beforehand, Cordelia and Buffy would often hang out and have a spa evening and then not tell Xander and Willow about it.

But Buffy had come to establish a sense of purpose. To remember exactly why she was here. What she'd done all her life. In her first few years in Sunnydale, the Bronze was always where they would all regroup. Talk about their days; discuss that night's slays.

Still, though, she felt what she'd always felt.

Absolutely nothing.

*.*_-_*.*

"Hey, Buffy!" Willow exclaimed, spotting Buffy entering the crowded club. "Xander's over there arguing with Anya."

"Mmm. Must be Tuesday. What's it about this time?"

"Anya says that Xander cares more about his getting older than he does about hers."

"Nice. Didn't Anya say that she didn't want to have a birthday party last year?"

"Yup. But you know Anya - she just argues for arguments' sake."

Buffy nodded. "That she does. Hey, do you know what band is playing tonight? I thought it was supposed to be Cibo Matto, but I heard they changed the lineup."

"Cibo Matto is still playing, but the remnants of Dingoes are gonna be up, too."

"Oh, welcome to memory lane," Buffy said, shaking her head slightly. "Isn't Cibo Matto the band that was playing that time when I was being all wiggy after I killed the Master?"

"The very same."

"Did they get a new guitarist for Dingoes yet?"

"I guess so. I mean, wouldn't they have to? Oz was totally amazing, yeah, but they can't just get rid of the band because he's not there anymore."

Buffy placed her hand on top of Willow's. "You still miss him, don't you?"

"Every minute of every day."

"Do you wish you hadn't made the choice you did?"

Willow looked at her. "Well, you know, yeah. He's Oz. But at the same time, Tara is Tara. And I love them both equally, but in different ways and at different times. At the time - when Oz came back when he said he'd found a cure - Tara was what I needed. She was the one that made getting over Oz feel like... I wasn't just trying to get over an ex that done me wrong."

Buffy nodded slowly. "So who do you need now?"

"Honestly?" Willow said, ducking as a Converse sneaker flew over my head. "Oz."

"Hey, guys," Tara said, putting her bag down on the table. "Sorry I'm late. I was looking up this new spell and I kind of lost track of time."

Willow gave Buffy a "don't-you-dare-tell-anyone-not-even-Xander-what-I-told-you" look.

"I'll take it to the grave," Buffy said, glancing over at Xander and Anya again. "Well, if they're not coming back here any time soon, I'm just going to leave. Tell Xander I said happy birthday."

"See you, Buffy," Willow and Tara called.

Buffy pushed her chair back and walked out the door.

She didn't look back.


	7. Chapter 7

_A/N: I forgot to post yesterday - sorry! I was just like, "tra-la-la!" all day, and then I was in bed trying to sleep and I was like, "Darn! I forgot to write another chapter! D:" But it's not a big deal, since nothing really happens on Wednesday. I mean, the Immunity ends, but if everything went according to plan, there wouldn't be a story, now would there? :-P Also, just out of curiosity, who else watched the Shrek Halloween special? Shrekcorsist? Haha. That was hysterical. Anyway. I'm starting up again on Thursday, since I would be a day behind if I started writing for Wednesday._

_Nice Normal Semi-Holiday_

_Chapter Seven_

"Don't you think you should go talk to Buffy?" Spike asked. "Just to let her know that you're getting out of town okay and you didn't get killed or anything?"

"No," Angel replied. "Buffy's made it pretty clear that she wants nothing to do with me, so I'll just leave her alone."

Spike rolled his eyes. "You ponce. Don't you remember the last time you did that? Womanized, that's what happened to her. She locked herself up in her dorm room and listened to Barry Manilow. That's how upset she was - after both incidents. You at least owe her a visit. She deserves that much."

"Why? Because she might get upset that I'm following through on what we originally planned to do?"

"Put yourself in Slayer's shoes, mate. You show up in town with your ex that you were with for a couple hundred years. You announce that you're involved in a game that frat boys play and you need a place to stay."

"Actually, she offered - "

"So then you try to do this whole romantic random showing-up-in-her-room thing that used to work when you were together. And so she tells you off because she is trying to follow the plan - isn't that what's so important to you?"

Angel was silent for a moment, mulling it over. Finally, he responded, "When did you learn so much about Buffy?"

Spike shrugged. "I listen. Pay attention. I was chained up in Giles' bathtub for a few months. You hear things, you know. And then it's all about context clues. But I'll tell you, the inner problems of the Scooby gang? Better than the shows I watch on the telly, mate. You need some real entertainment, come to Sunnydale and listen to them for a few hours."

Spike walked over to the fridge and grabbed a beer. He swung himself over the back of the couch into a sitting position across from the chair that Angel was in. Uncapping the beer, he took a swig. "But I'll tell you what. Don't come crying to me when you find out what Buffy does to herself when she doesn't know what's happened to her true love." Spike picked up the remote and flipped on the TV. "Now, if you'll excuse me, I have to watch the news. See if there're any new nasties in town."

It was Angel's cue to leave, so he stood up. He should probably find Darla and start getting ready to go. The only reason he hadn't wanted to leave yesterday was that everyone else would want to leave in a hurry to get to Sidney, the next Immunity area. Angel, Darla, and Drusilla had decided that simply staying out of the way was their best option. Well, Angel and Darla had decided. Drusilla was busy talking to some ants or something.

The girls were downstairs, packing up the few articles of clothing they'd brought with them. A few sweaters and t-shirts, some jeans, and what looked like ten pairs of socks apiece. They'd also determined that less was more - each of them had a duffel bag packed with everything they needed. Drusilla's was mostly filled with tarot cards and everything else she used to predict the future, but Darla helped her and made sure she had everything that she would need, no matter what they had to do. Last week, in Orlando, they couldn't find anywhere to stay, so they had to stay out on the streets all night. Angel would be willing to swear on his life that at least forty people had asked him for money to buy meth. So the next time they came upon a thrift shop, they went in and found the ugliest, most worn-in clothes they could and bought them, just in case they had to do anything like that again.

Angel had learned in his years as the Scourge of Europe that it paid to be versatile when it came to things like living space, but he didn't think that he could take any more of that. Luckily, after the first night in Orlando, they were able to get a halfway-decent hotel room after he had Cordelia wire him some money, but from then on Angel would always be sure to be able to get money at a moment's notice to pay for an unforeseen expense.

"Dru, you can't bring all of Spike's shirts," Darla was trying to explain.

"Why not?" Drusilla asked.

"Because they're his and because you can't fit them into your bag and there's no way they're going in mine." Darla looked up at Angel. "_You_ try. She's trying to take all of Spike's clothes."

Angel looked at Drusilla and sighed. "Drusilla, you can't take that stuff."

"Why not?" Drusilla asked again.

"Because you just can't. You have to leave it here. For one thing, Spike barely has the money to buy blood. He certainly doesn't have enough cash on hand to buy a whole new wardrobe."

Drusilla stared at him for a moment. "Fine," she agreed. "but only if you apologize to the stars for vexing them."

"All right." Angel looked awkwardly at the ceiling, despite the fact that they were underneath Spike's crypt and that it was daytime outside. "I'm sorry, stars, for upsetting you. Was that good, Drusilla?"

"It was fine."

*.*_-_*.*

Diana was hurriedly stuffing everything into a suitcase. "Come on, Marg'ret!" she called. "I wanna be out o' this dang town before it gets dark out."

"Why're we doin' that, again?" Meg asked.

"Because, stupid, no one else can get out during the day. What if we have the wrong Immunity for today? We could lose, and you know what losin' means. At this point, I just wanna win so that we can get this whole thing over with and we won't ever have to even think about it again."

Margaret rolled her eyes. "Sure, Diana. I'll listen to you on the day that we got a President that ain't white and pigs fly." (_A/N: Did anyone get that? The year that Obama took office, SWINE FLU! Haha. Ha. Yeah. I thought it was funny.)_

*.*_-_*.*

There was a knock on the Summers' front door.

"I'll get it!" Dawn called. She loved answering the door - being the first one to see who was on the other side.

She turned the knob and pulled the door open and standing there was Angel.

"Oh. You're here. Did you come back to break my sister's heart for, what is it, the millionth time?"

"Look, Dawn, I don't really even need to talk to Buffy. Will you just tell her that I'm alive and that we're leaving now? Also, tell her I'm sorry. I said some stupid things and I deserve to be staked, and it's the least I can do, but tell her that I said, "thank you."

Without even waiting for a response, Angel just turned away and walked back down the path.

_How rude. _Dawn thought, closing the door. _At least he's gone now._

Buffy came down the stairs. "Who was that?"

"Angel. He says he's alive, they're leaving, he's sorry, and thank you."

"Great." Buffy went back up the stairs.

Dawn rolled her eyes. Family.


	8. Chapter 8

_A/N: Okay, I think that we should start getting back into the Halloween-y spirit - you know, jack-o-lanterns, costumes... I don't think I even told you guys what costume Dawn got, anyway. You'll find out in this chapter. I need to get Riley a costume, too... hmm. Whatever. Much to include. It's actually become a lot more versatile now that Angel, Darla, and Drusilla are gone - there can be a lot more interaction between Spike and the Scoobies._

_Nice Normal Semi-Holiday_

_Chapter Eight_

Buffy sat on the couch in the family room, vicariously scrubbing her favorite shirt - light purple with dark blue and green flowers - with whatever cleaning products she could find around the house, attempting fruitlessly to remove a grass stain she'd picked up from last night's patrol.

"Buffy," Dawn said, leaning against the door frame. "It's been an hour. I think you should call it and go buy a new shirt."

"No!" Buffy exclaimed. "This grass stain _will _come out! I just need more... bleach. Yeah, that's it. Dawny, can you get me some bleach?"

"Um... no. Bleach will ruin the shirt." Dawn entered the room and sat down next to Buffy, gently taking the shirt from her. "You're projecting your frustration with Angel onto getting out a stain on a shirt, Buffy. You're just... not right. What's wrong?"

"You're the one who's taking Psych as an elective. You tell me."

"Well, I mean, he left, so it's not like you have to worry about your hair being too fluffy or whatever when he's around or anything. And you don't have to worry about him and Riley since, like I said, he's gone. It doesn't make sense to me."

"And therein, young one, lies the dilemma." Buffy stood up and entered the kitchen, grabbing a bottle of water out of the fridge. Dawn followed her.

"Buffy, talk to me. You haven't really said anything to me at all since he got here and even before that, you were always kind of... private, I guess. And I want to know about you! I want to know you! And Mom does too, but we don't know anything about your life. So please talk to me," Dawn pleaded.

Buffy studied her for a moment. "Fine. But come up to my room - I really don't want Mom to hear her supposedly all-grown-up and mature daughter crying over her ex."

Buffy caught Dawn smiling. "Hey. This is serious. If I see you smile or laugh at any time unless I'm telling a joke, I swear I will put you in the hospital. Do you understand?"

Dawn nodded quickly.

"Great," Buffy said, opening the door to her room. Immediately, Dawn plopped down on the bed, on top of the pillows. Rolling her eyes, Buffy shut the door and sat next to Dawn on the less comfy side of the bed.

"Angel left," Buffy began, trying to figure out how to word this without actually giving Dawn too much info. "So now... he came. And I got back into that frame of mind that I always used to be in - 'oh, when I get home, Angel'll probably be in my room!' But he isn't. So I get that feeling and then when he isn't there... you know that time when Dad promised to take us to Disneyland for a week but then he cancelled because he forgot about his girlfriend's mother's birthday?" Dawn nodded. "It's like that. And now I'm crushed when I come home and he isn't there. I'll have that feeling for weeks - have to deal with it. And he'll never be there. So I'll cry some more. Have a sparring match with Riley. Train with Giles. Go on with life. Try my hardest to love Riley as much as I love Angel, even though there's no way I ever could."

"Why can't you love Riley like you loved Angel?" Dawn asked.

Buffy shrugged. "Angel was my first love. When you're sixteen, Dawn, everything is pretty much blown way out of proportion in your mind. Everything seems much bigger than it really is. Relationships, especially. I fell in love with Angel when I was a teenager, and there'll always be a part of me that knows that, even though, frankly, logic says that I should love Riley more than Angel, he isn't him. There's a little bit of that sixteen-year-old stupid Buffy left in my mind."

Dawn nodded.

"So," Buffy said, trying to lighten the mood. "I don't think you even told me what costume you got."

"Oh!" Dawn exclaimed. "I got a princess costume. Just a generic princess dress."

"Lovely."

"What about you? What are you going to be?"

Buffy smiled. "You'll find out tomorrow. I can't tell you now. It's a secret."

"Secrets. Great."


End file.
